Harry Potter and the Night Mage
by LifeIsJustADreamForTheDead
Summary: Harry is sent back to live with his Aunt and Uncle after losing his beloved Godfather in his fifth year. Harry finds out in a vision that there is a secret prophecy. Who is the Night Mage and what is Snape hiding?
1. The Prophecy

**Harry Potter and the Night Mage  
  
**It was the summer holidays after the terrible ordeal of losing his godfather that Harry was trying to survive. When he had first arrived back, having caught a cab because the Dursley's had supposedly forgotten about him, the Dursleys were nowhere to be seen and Harry was forced to break into the house by means of picking the lock of the back door. He was glad the Weasley twins had taught him such a handy trick and was filled with sadness at the thought of having to spend the entire summer at his aunt and uncle's place.  
Only when he entered did he realise that Dudley and his gang of friends were inside and had locked him out on purpose, as they were all gathered around the television, eating whatever they pleased and smoking. At first Harry wondered whether they were allowed to be there, then they approached scathingly.  
"Well, if it isn't our favourite punching bag," sneered one of Dudley's friends. He was short and had a pointed face like a rat.  
Harry stared at him in slight surprise. He couldn't recall being called a punching bag since before he had gone to Hogwarts, but, then again, he hadn't run into Dudley's gang since before he turned eleven. He stopped dragging his trunk to the stairs and fought the urge to pull out his wand. There was no need to cause a scene, even though Harry was in dire need of releasing some emotional agony. The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. Neglecting all thoughts of using magic, Harry glared at the rat-faced boy.  
"I'm bored," drawled another of Dudley's gang. Harry glanced at Dudley, who was giving him a desperate look behind his friends' backs.  
Harry smirked, "I'd be bored too if I did nothing but sit on my fat ass and eat all day," he mused.  
That was enough to set them off. There were five of them, including Dudley, who was cowering silently at the back of the group as they quickly approached. "What did you say, you nerd," one of them spat, neatly missing Harry's shoe. Another one of them shoved him against the kitchen counter. Harry ignored the sharp pain in the middle of his back and threw the first punch. He caught one of the larger boys full in the face, but no sooner did the boy stumble than the rat-faced boy had him on the floor.  
Harry was stunned. It felt as though the floor had been pulled out from beneath him as the boy kicked his legs out. Harry fell heavily to the floor, his head smashing onto the hard, polished wood and dazing him. He had not expected this and knew he was fighting a losing battle. Reaching for his wand, he felt someone firmly grabbing his wrists and looked up to see that Dudley had joined the fray, albeit reluctantly.  
"Let me go!" Harry demanded scathingly.  
Dudley ignored him and said, "Grab his arms and legs and don't let him reach into his pockets because that's where he keeps his knives".  
The gang complied and Harry soon found himself being dragged from the house, one boy holding an arm or leg each and Dudley holding the back door open. When then had him pinned, struggling to the back lawn, Dudley reached into his pocket shakily pulled out his wand, hiding it from the other boys.  
"Give it back!" Harry shouted, struggling profusely. "Give it back now or I'll magic you straight to hell!"  
Dudley flinched and ordered them to "Get him!" Instantaneous pandemonium broke out as all four of Dudley's friends began pounding on him. Harry managed to kick one of them in the stomach but that only made them more furious and they beat him harder. Everything was a blur as they repeatedly bashed his head in, their knuckles covered in Harry's blood, and kicked him in the stomach and ribs, causing for him to curl up in a ball. Harry tried to get one punch in, just one descent blow that could possibly give him a chance to escape but even to him it seemed feeble.  
Suddenly, there were several loud popping noises and then the beating stopped. Harry lay there clutching his ribs for a moment and trying to clear his aching head enough to sit up. Someone grabbed his shoulders and he instinctively tried to push them away.

"Its alright, Harry," said an all too familiar voice, "Its only me". Harry realised why everything was still blurry and groped around for his glasses. He heard Lupin mutter a spell to fix the shattered glasses before sliding them onto Harry's face for him.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, wiping blood from his mouth and trying to stand up. He gasped and clutched his ribs, angry with himself for being so weak. "Harry-" Lupin began to protest but Harry mutter an, "I'm fine," before forcing himself to his feet and suspecting at least one broken rib. Lupin seemed to suspect the same thing, as he had his wand pointed at him and was muttering some kind of injury detection spell.

Meanwhile, Harry examined his surroundings. The four boys that had been beating him were lying stunned on the ground while Dudley was cowering behind a tree. There were two other wizards that had come with Harry's godfather's best friend who Harry recognised as members of the Order, Mundungus and, to Harry's surprise and shock, Snape. For a moment Snape caught Harry's eye but looked away with a sneer on his face and Harry could not help but wonder what he was thinking.

"Why did you come here?" Harry asked Lupin.

"Why do you think?" Lupin gave him a worried glance.

"I'm sure you have more important things to do and its not as though a bunch of muggle bullies were going to beat me to death. They only wanted to teach me a lesson," Harry spoke darkly before heading toward where Dudley was hiding, kicking the rat-faced boy on the way and, hopefully, making it look like an accident.

"Give me my wand," he spoke calmly. Dudley flinched before throwing the wand. Before the wand could quite go over the fence, Harry had reached out a hand and was slightly surprised when it stopped in mid air and came flying straight back to him. He caught it easily and turned back to find the Order members staring at him. "What?" he asked guiltily.

Deciding not to make an issue of the fact that Harry had just performed wandless magic, Lupin said, "Uh, Harry, it appears that you have several broken ribs and you might want to have that cut looked at," he indicated the gash on Harry's brow and gave Harry a worried look but Harry just lifted his arm up so as to hold the sleeve of his shirt to his bleeding nose. While Mundungus watched the stunned boys, Harry led Lupin and Snape inside. Harry stopped when they all entered the living room and looked at the place where he had been thrown to the floor. There was a smear of blood on the floor and Harry frowned and reached up his hand to touch the back of his head. His fingertips brushed up against a gash and he looked at his hand to find blood on it. "Dammit!" he muttered irritably.

Lupin noticed all of this and went to Harry's side. Before he could ask, Harry answered, "I'm fine," before continuing on his way. Once up the stairs, he entered his bedroom for the first time since the last summer holidays and stopped. The entire room was empty but not in the sense that it had always been empty. There was not a single object in the tiny bedroom.

"What is this, Potter?" sneered Snape.

"Uh, I don't know," Harry sighed. This was certainly not his day. There was a sound of keys being fumbled with down the stairs and then the front door opening. Fuming, Harry slid past Lupin and Snape and walked quickly down the stairs, wincing with pain of this simple movement. No sooner had he reached the bottom of the stairs than he almost ran into Uncle Vernon.

"How did you get in here, boy?" Uncle Vernon demanded coldly.

"Dudley was kind enough to let me in," Harry answered with heavy sarcasm.

"Don't give me your cheek!" Uncle Vernon roared, "Go and make dinner!"

"Where is my bed?" Harry asked quietly, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt as it began to bleed again.

"Sold it," Uncle Vernon said simply, ignoring the fact that Harry was quite obviously injured.

"What for?"

"Waste of space. What do you need it for, anyway? What, the floor not good enough for you? Is that it? We took you in as a baby and fed you and gave you a place to stay, so would you rather sleep in some dumpster, where you belong, or are you going to shut up and make dinner!" Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry by the shoulder and gave him a firm push towards the kitchen.

Harry was chopping carrots, grumbling to himself and wondering where Lupin and Snape were when Aunt Petunia screamed. Harry's heart skipped a beat. Uh- oh...

"BOY!!!" roared a furious Uncle Vernon. Harry was contemplating ducking under the counter and hiding there for the rest of the night when Uncle Vernon came stomping in, his many chins quivering involuntarily with each step and his face a nasty shade of purple.

"Uh, is there something the matter, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked innocently. Uncle Vernon grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him forcefully out the back door. Harry tripped and fell in a heap on the grass, clutching his broken ribs.

"What did you do to Dudley?" Uncle Vernon demanded angrily. Harry looked up to see a sobbing Dudley being cuddled by Aunt Petunia. He was relieved to see, however, that the other four boys were nowhere to be seen.

"What about what he did to me?" Harry glared at his Uncle before struggling to his feet.

"I don't give a damn what he did to you, you snivelling, ignorant, bastard! What you did last summer was more than enough! This was the last straw! Now, since we can't get rid of you, you will do whatever Dudley tells you to do! Is that understood?"

Harry bit back a retort and said resignedly, "Yes, Uncle Vernon," and proceeded to make a baked dinner for the next hour and a half before Dudley's first demand of, "Make me a chocolate cake, Potter!" he hissed nastily, making sure he was out of earshot of his parents.

"But your not allowed. You're on a diet, remember?" Harry glared at him, struggling not to make a snide remark.

"I said to make a chocolate cake and I mean it. If you don't I will make you do something much worse," he sneered and, having let that sink in, he added, "With cream as well," before strutting over to the lounge room and watching television with his parents.

Harry glared after him before gathering the ingredients. He had to make it from scratch because Aunt Petunia had thrown out all of the cake mixes to ensure that Dudley did not get tempted and, with that, Dudley was too incompetent to know how to make a cake the hard way, not to mention that he was lazy. Half an hour later, the cake was cooking in the oven and Harry was scrubbing the dishes laboriously.

Harry had finished the dishes and was just adding the finishing touches to the cake when Dudley walked in. "I'm hungry," he stated.

"You're always hungry," Harry muttered, thrusting the delicious cake into Dudley's arms before beginning the tedious task of drying the dishes. It was some hours later that Harry walked into his bedroom. He had been in the kitchen for longer than he had intended because he had realised at the last moment that he had spilt icing mixture on the floor and was forced to clean it up as discreetly as possible. Then, of course, Aunt Petunia spotted a cockroach on the wall and squealed for him to, "Kill it! Kill it!" before demanding that he vacuum out the entire house to prevent an infestation.

As he entered his bedroom, Harry noticed a bed with dark green sheets and a desk with a lamp and alarm clock on it, along with his school trunk, which Snape had levitated up there when Harry had led them to his room. Harry smiled wearily and made his way over to the desk. There was a note, which read:  
  
_Dear Harry,  
I must apologise for leaving so soon. We have an urgent call from the Order and must be on our way immediately. However, someone will be sent to heal you immediately. I hope you enjoy you new furniture. Have a nice holiday in case I do not see you again.  
  
Remus Lupin  
  
_Harry sighed. He had hardly had the chance to speak to the closest person he had to a father and now it looked as though he would be waiting a long time for another chance.

"Why the long face?"

Harry jumped and had turned around with his wand out and aimed in the blink of an eye. When Harry saw who it was, he lowered his wand immediately and apologised profusely.

"None of that now, Harry dear," Mrs Weasley spoke kindly and embraced him warmly. Harry gasped as the pressure on his ribs became too much. Mrs Weasley released him quickly, "Now, lets have a look at you". She probed him with her wand and helped him so lay down on the newly acquired bed. She spoke to him as she worked her magic, "I came a few hours ago but you were as busy as a house elf and I didn't want to disturb you. It was awfully nice of you to make your cousin a cake like that but I tell you, the boy ate the entire thing within mere minutes and even licked the plate..." Mrs Weasley continued her gossip as she lathered a healing balm on the gash on his brow and got him to drink several potions.

"Mrs Weasley, what was so urgent at the order? What is going on?"

Mrs Weasley was silent for a moment, casting a sealing charm on the cut in his lip, "Well, you see, I really oughtn't be telling you, dear" said Mrs Weasley.

"I think I should know these things. Sooner or later, I am going to have to be a part of the Order. It is my destiny". Harry tried to explain calmly, not wanting to offend her. "Well, dear... You see, _you-know-who _has the freedom of raiding numerous places now that his cover is blown and a number of people were killed in a recent attack on Diagon Alley-"

"What?" Harry sat bolt upright. "How many? Is it still going on? Is Lupin alright?"

"He's fine. Nobody from the Order was killed, although Severus received a nasty severing charm to the chest and... uh, thirteen people were killed while another four children were taken-"

"Taken?"

"Yes, dear. The Death Eaters took them-"

"Who were they?" Harry began to pace back and forth.

"Sarah Nostalgus, a pure blood girl from an old Wizarding family, Edwardo Fillus, a muggle born boy, David Godard, a half muggle born boy and another girl who nobody seems to know the name of," Mrs Weasley recited, "They all seem to be varied so we can only assume that this was a random choosing of children".

"There must be some link. How old were they?"

"Oh, they were all either fifteen or sixteen and from various different schools," Mrs Weasley answered.  
Harry stopped. "Wait. They were all around my age?"  
"I suppose, but I am sure this was not an attack on you. They would know you if they saw you, dear," Mrs Weasley looked worriedly at him, "I shouldn't have bothered you with this, Harry. Why don't you try to get some sleep?"  
Harry nodded, only half listening. He wished there was something he could do. Nobody deserved Lord Voldemort's torture. Harry took that back as soon as he had thought of it, remembering his godfather's murder. Maybe some people deserved such punishment. Deep in his thought, Harry did not notice as Mrs Weasley magically incinerated the letter Harry had been left by Lupin.  
"Bye, Harry," she embraced him once more, gently, and disappeared with a loud pop.  
Harry sighed wearily before climbing into bed and falling asleep easily.  
  
_Harry distinctly saw four children bound by tight ropes and strapped to separate pillars around a roaring fire as his scar seemed to burst into pain with the flames. They were all staring in horror at a cloaked figure before them, save for one. A girl with long, dark hair, not unlike to his own, looked on calmly.  
The cloaked figure reached up and pulled back its hood to reveal piercing red eyes and serpentine features. He walked forward slowly, until he was standing directly behind the flames of the fire, his Death Eaters creating a circle around himself and the children, and all could clearly see his face. Then Lord Voldemort spoke and his words were that of a secret prophecy:  
  
"In the night that the child of light betrays darkness,  
  
The curse of death shall burden the still living child  
  
With a second life, an alternate  
And the child's alternate shall be in the form of none other  
Than himself in another life and image  
This alternate child that be the Mage of sleeping thoughts and  
Darkness  
Should one seeketh this child only flesh can tell  
And this child shall be revealed to light or dark  
To change the tides of war in the direction of either."  
  
Voldemort walked through the fire and the flames turned blue, leaving him indifferent upon reaching the opposite side. Harry stared. He had just heard a secret prophecy and it had left him completely stunned.  
  
He watched in awe as Voldemort reached forth his hand and touched the cheek of the first child, a blond girl. She was crying silently, fearful that Voldemort would harm her if he heard such a cowardly sound. Disappointed by no reaction, Voldemort ordered her to be killed before moving on to the next child, a boy with short brown hair and dark circles under his eyes. Again there was no reaction other than fear to his touch and the Death Eaters used the killing curse on him as they had for the girl. _

_Voldemort had only two left. He touched the second boy before ordering him dead and went to the last girl, the one who had been, and still was, completely calm. Harry stared at her sadly. He then realised that it was not because she would have to die soon but rather that she was lost to him and he felt a great kind of longing. Then she looked directly at him and said, "Help me, Harry," her green eyes identical to his. _

_Voldemort shot a revealing charm at him but it had no effect so Harry decided that it was time to move, before it was too late. He pulled out his wand and threw a severing charm at the girl's bonds as he ran to her. He reached out to grab her hand at exactly the same moment as Voldemort reached out to touch her face and the girl screamed in what seemed to be agony. With her free hand, the girl managed to push away Voldemort's hand before collapsing into Harry's arms, one lock of her hair turned white at her left brow. _

_Voldemort saw the girl's body being supported by nothing other than what appeared to be air and aimed his wand at the space above the girl's limp head. Not taking his chances with the killing curse so close to the girl, the Dark Lord hissed, "Crucio!" _

_Harry's body gave an involuntary spasm of pain and he screamed as the curse tortured every inch of his body. There was a chilling breeze in the air and the lock of white hair at the girl's brow flowed with the breeze, brushing up against the stinging scar on Harry's forehead.  
_  
Harry woke up screaming, the after effects of the Cruciatus still active and images of his vision still clear in his mind. Panting and trembling, Harry sat up quickly, only to find that, lying unconscious with her head on his chest, the girl in his vision had come back with him.


	2. Heartbreaker

Harry had long since tucked the unconscious girl into his bed and was pacing the length of his small bedroom, wondering what to do. Voldemort had wanted this girl to use her as a weapon of some kind, that much he knew, but how would he have used her? What power did she possess that could make her a danger or help to either himself or Voldemort? It was madness!  
Sighing, Harry looked at the time. It was 4:23 in the morning. Giving up on the thought of trying to get some sleep, Harry slipped quietly from the room and went to the bathroom. When he saw his own reflection in the mirror, Harry stared. His eyes were blackened from where Dudley's gang had beaten him and there was a scar above his brow where the gash had been. Harry lifted up the baggy, black t-shirt he had worn to bed and examined the black and blue bruises on his ribs. Groaning with the stiffness of every movement, Harry undressed and hopped into the shower. It was going to be a long day. He had to work out what he was going to tell the Order without them taking her away from him to protect her. Meanwhile, he had to keep his newly acquired 'sister' a secret from the Dursleys, lest they have a fit. Turning off the hot water, Harry dried himself and dressed in some jeans and one of Dudley's old t-shirts. Giving his hair one last dry off, he left the bathroom and entered his bedroom. The girl was still sleeping.

Running a comb through his hair, he snuck back out of the room. It had occurred to him that he ought to sneak some breakfast into the room before the Dursleys woke up, so he crept down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaking step, and made his way to the kitchen. He buttered two bread rolls and washed two apples before sneaking back up to his room. It was around five in the morning and he laid the food on his desk. Taking up a piece of parchment and a quill, Harry wrote:  
  
_Dumbledore,  
I had a vision this morning that I find rather disturbing, mainly because it has come back, literally, to haunt me. I learned of a secret prophecy but I do not think it would be wise for me to write it in case this letter is intercepted. Anyway, Voldemort had the four children that he'd taken from Diagon Alley and he read the prophecy. Then he touched each child. With the first three nothing happened, so the Death Eaters killed them. But when Voldemort was about to touch the fourth child, she looked directly at me and said, "Help me, Harry".  
I did precisely that, but Voldemort touched her and a lock of her dark hair turned white as she screamed in pain. Well, it ended up with Voldemort doing the cruciatus on me before I woke up here at Privet Drive again. But that's not all. She was here with me.  
She is still unconscious but I think she'll be ok. I am hiding her from the Dursleys but I do insist that she stay here with me. If you knew the prophecy you would understand.  
  
Harry  
  
PS: I was wondering if you could find out who she is. I would like verily for her to come to Hogwarts but I do not know a thing about her. Please keep me informed of the activity of Lord Voldemort and I hope to see you or somebody from the Order to keep me sane.  
  
_Finishing the letter, Harry rolled it up and tied it to Hedwig's outstretched leg.  
"Take this to Dumbledore, and hurry. I will have some other messages for you when you get back". When Hedwig was out of sight, Harry pulled out another piece of parchment and wrote a formal letter to the Minister of Magic, asking his permission to practice magic in order to learn to protect himself from Lord Voldemort. He added delicately that it was the Dark Lord's utmost goal to have him murdered mercilessly and bid him good health before writing yet another letter to Gringotts to have a portion of his money exchanged into muggle money and sent to him. Then he sighed and stretched. When he received his money from Gringotts and the girl had awoken, he intended to sneak her out of the house and take her to buy some new clothes. Earlier, he had checked to see if she had her wand only to find that the only belongings on her were her clothes and they appeared too small for her and tattered.

"Potter! Go and make breakfast! I want bacon and eggs! Now!" Harry heard his cousin stomping towards his door and, thinking fast, pulled the blankets over the girl's head, sitting and leaning back against her as though she were a pillow. The door burst open and Harry assumed a relaxed position, pretending he had been merely sitting and looking out of the window the whole time. The sun had risen by this time and Harry was actually surprised to see his large cousin would bother to get up so early. Then again, hunger always beat away all thought of sleep for Dudley so it was probably the fact that he could make Harry treat him to whatever he wanted without his parents ever finding out. Dudley hissed at Harry so that his parents wouldn't overhear, "And I want that with pancakes and chips too". He then proceeded to the bathroom.

Harry felt movement coming from the bed and he quickly jumped up, pulling back the blankets to see the girl staring back at him brightly. "Harry!" was all she said before pulling him into a tight cuddle. Harry was so surprised that he fell over and blushed.

When she released him, which took an awful lot of convincing, he asked, "Err, who are you exactly? I mean, what is your name?"

"Cyradis," she answered shyly.

"Well, Cyradis, how old are you?" Harry asked nicely, trying to make her feel comfortable around him and help her 'come out of her protective shell'.

"Same as you," she spoke quietly, her eyes never leaving his. I'm hungry

Harry gasped. Her lips had not moved when she said this.

You are telepathic? he thought to himself but Cyradis seemed to hear him, for her eyes twinkled in amusement.

Yes she replied but only to you, Harry

Harry goggled at her and she frowned slightly at his gaze. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, shaking himself from his stupor and going to the desk. He came back with the apples and buns, handing one of each to Cyradis. "So, err, where are you from?" Harry took a bite out of his apple from where he sat on his desk chair.

"Here and there. I don't really remember my childhood but as far as I can tell, I have been convincing people that my voice in their heads was their conscience and they seemed to feel guilty and take me in".

Harry could not help but laugh at the thought of people thinking their crimes had come back to kick them in the arse. That was certainly a 'different' way of getting what you wanted. So, what were you doing at Diagon Alley before Voldemort took you?" he asked, still smiling.

"Just looking. Sometimes people would feel sorry for me and give me food and one old lady gave me some clothes that used to belong to her daughter," she indicated the tattered, old dress robes.

Harry noticed that she did not seem comfortable with speaking and he got the impression that she was not used to using the words that she spoke. "Don't you have any friends or family?" he asked sadly.

"You are my friend and family now," she said brightly, smiling fondly at him.

"You understood the prophecy?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes. I always understand, even when words are not spoken to be understood," her green eyes were bright and innocent and he found her smile infectious as they just sat and looked at each other for a while. Her hair was as dark as his own, minus the white lock, and her startling, green eyes mirrored his. Other than that, she was just as skinny and was the same height as himself, her skin the same fairness and the only really obvious differences being that they were the opposite sex, Harry had the telltale lightning bolt scar on his forehead and Cyradis had a white lock of hair at her brow.

Dudley stomping out of the bathroom interrupted these thoughts. Cyradis seemed already to understand what was going on and ducked under the bed covers as Harry sat on the bed once more, carefully hiding his pathetic breakfast. He had not counted on Dudley waking up early but he reasoned that there wouldn't have been any point in sneaking out without money anyway.

"Why haven't you made my breakfast yet?" Dudley demanded threateningly.

"Dudley," Harry said irritably, "what makes you think I am not going to slip poison into your breakfast?"

Dudley went straight to his parent's bedroom with a loud, "Mum! Dad! Harry's threatening to do you know what and kill me!"

Harry muttered a few choice curses under his breath and was about to hurry down to the kitchen when Hedwig flew back in through the window. "That was quick," Harry commented and was disappointed to find no reply attached to her leg. He quickly went to his desk and chose the one to Gringotts first. He tied it to Hedwig's leg and watched her fly away before facing Uncle Vernon's wrath.

"I warned you, freak!"

"Aw, that's a bit harsh," Harry muttered so that his Uncle couldn't hear. This definitely couldn't turn out good.

"What is the meaning of this?" Vernon demanded, his face varying in shades of purple and his small eyes shooting around the room dangerously.

For a moment, Harry feared that his uncle had seen Cyradis and was prepared to do some pretty rash things to protect her. Then he remembered his new furniture and didn't feel any better about the situation.

"Go to your cupboard!" Vernon was struggling to formulate coherent words as he restrained himself from beating the life out of Harry.

Harry didn't want to leave Cyradis, "Why?" he blurted.

Uncle Vernon grabbed a handful of Harry's hair and threw him out of the room. As Harry tried to stand to defend himself, Uncle Vernon kicked him in the ribs and he fell down the stairs. At the landing, he lay there dazed, having hit his head a number of times on his way down. Everything looked foggy and Uncle Vernon's form coming down the stairs was blurred so that Harry had to squint to recognise him. Shaking his head and ignoring the pain he felt all over, Harry abandoned his missing glasses and scrambled to his feet, fumbling in his pocket for his wand.

"No you don't!" Vernon picked Harry up bodily and threw him into a wall. The wind was knocked out of him and he lay there, gasping for breath. His wand had slipped from his grasp and was on the floor near Vernon's feet. Vernon grabbed the collar of his dark shirt and was dragging him along the floor. He stopped at the cupboard under the stairs and opened it, shoving Harry in before closing and locking the door.

There was complete darkness. Harry couldn't make out a single thing; even if he had his glasses, and kept getting caught in spider webs as he tried to stand in the cramped space. He was furious at himself for not being able to defend himself against a mere muggle and worried that they would find Cyradis. Thus it was that the pain in his concussed head became too much and he slipped out of consciousness.

"Harry?" a voice spoke on the edge of Harry's consciousness.

His eyes flickered open and he briefly wondered why he was laying flat on his back in a dusty cupboard. He sat up quickly, "Cyradis?" He still could not see and reached out a hand to grab the form in front of him, his eyes looking like that of a blind man.

"Calm down, Harry. Where is she?" Harry recognised the voice of Dumbledore and instinctively sensed Cyradis. "Hiding. I think she still in my room," Harry's words slurred slightly and he felt vague. He clung to Dumbledore relentlessly until another form entered his line of vision, or lack thereof.

"Harry. It's Remus. Let go of Dumbledore. He will go and find Cyradis," the form in question said calmly, easing Harry's grasp off of the headmaster.

"I can't see. Do you know where my glasses are?" Harry spoke numbly.

"Accio spectacles," Remus muttered. "Erm, Harry..."

"What is it?" Harry asked cautiously. He didn't like not being able to see. "Have you got my glasses?"

"A small portion of them, I suppose". There was a scream from up the stairs.

"Cyradis!" Harry was suddenly feeling completely alert. He jumped to his feet and sprinted past a number of Order members that he could not see. He bolted up the stairs and burst into his own bedroom to see Cyradis curled up in a ball in the corner with Dumbledore kneeling before her. Harry ran to her and she wrapped her arms around him wordlessly. "Hey, wait a minute! I can see!" Harry exclaimed, only noticing for the first time.

Cyradis pulled away from him, still holding onto his hand, and looked into his eyes, That is because I am your eyes and you will only truly see in my presence her words reverberated in his mind.

How do you know this? Harry asked without speaking.

I see all was all she said before she once again wrapped her arms around him.

Dumbledore had watched as Harry and Cyradis gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment before resuming to cuddling. There was an amused twinkle in his eyes when Harry turned to him, blushing slightly. Harry realised how it must have looked to anyone watching and smiled in embarrassment. Then he blushed even further as he noticed that all of his rescuing Order members were watching the exchange from his bedroom door. "Uh, everyone, this is my twin sister, Cyradis," he had decided earlier on that that was, practically, what they were; twins.

Everyone stared. Dumbledore frowned and Remus looked plain shocked. Everyone was silent and Harry was glad when all was interrupted by the arrival of Hedwig. Harry stood and went to his desk with Cyradis hanging onto his arm. He untied the leather purse from the snowy owl's leg and attached his letter to the Minister of Magic.

Dumbledore cleared his voice as Hedwig flew out of the window. "Well, I suppose we need to talk, Harry, about your rather... interesting ... letter," he said in a business-like tone.

Harry looked at the members of the Order, wondering if they were supposed to hear.

"It's alright, Harry. I have confided in the Order of the Pheonix to keep this information to themselves and it is no longer a great secret if Voldemort knows and he certainly seems to," Dumbledore had that twinkle in his eyes as he watched Harry. The boy had dried blood from his nose and dark circles under his eyes, which made the headmaster terribly empathetic and sad just then, but at the same time he did not appear dejected and hurt by his relative's abuse. It was almost as though he found a great comfort and sense of belonging in the presence of his 'sister'?

"Voldemort spoke of a secret Prophecy," Harry searched his memories to remember, "It was about me when he tried to kill me as a baby. Apparently, when the killing curse hit me, I was split in two and Cyradis is my other half. Other than that, he said something about her being the Night Mage and wanting to use her as a weapon against the light and, I guess, me," Harry ended off thoughtfully, frowning at the floor.

Cyradis tugged on his arm and he looked into her eyes, I am only half of the Night Mage. I, also, am incomplete

Does that mean that Voldemort's plan wouldn't have worked?

No. If he used me, I would never have been able to kill you directly, although the only ones with enough power to do so are Voldemort and myself. If one of us dies, we both die, so that doubles Voldemort's chances of defeating the light. All he needs is one of us and it is all over.

So, what's the good news?"

You are the protector and my champion. It is your destiny to defeat Voldemort and protect me or die and fail. You have yet to unleash the better part of you power and, with training and my insight, you will be as my bodyguard. You are the sword that protects me and I am your eyes. As long as we are together, we are complete and almost unstoppable.

Almost?

Where you are lacking in sight by your eyes and mind, I have that advantage, but I am vulnerable to attack. We need one another to survive the darkness, for my eyes can see through the darkness and I will guide you through the darkness she smiled fondly at him.

Someone cleared their throat and Harry looked back the Order members, "Sorry," he blushed, "She was just explaining to me about us".

"She's a telepath?" asked Tonks, her hair spiky hot pink.

"Err, we can talk to each other in our minds if we look into each other's eyes," Harry explained, trying to get used to the fact that he would never be far from this female again. He explained to them all what Cyradis had just told him and occasionally she would catch Harry's attention and silently tell him things. For some reason, Cyradis would not talk to anyone but him and behaved extremely uncomfortably and timid around anyone else, even Tonks, who was constantly beaming at her and waving.

"Harry, I think you should come back to the Order for a few days. Cyradis may stay with you as I am sure I could not part you even if I wanted to," he smiled knowingly at Harry pulled out his wand.

Cyradis hid behind Harry the entire time as Dumbledore summoned all of Harry's belongings and shrunk them. Harry pocketed his wand.

"What happened to the Dursleys?" Harry asked, not particularly caring and yet hoping they were feeling at least some discomfort.

"They were taken care of," was all the information Dumbledore released before they all went downstairs.

Harry saw them floating limply in the air in the middle of the dining room and smiled darkly.

"I believe you will be needing this," Dumbledore handed Snape an old tennis ball. "I will be with you shortly".

Everyone, Snape, Remus, Mundungus and Kingsley Shacklebolt, reached out and touched a finger to the portkey. Harry followed and held on tightly to Cyradis with his other arm.

Dumbledore said, "Sweets," and they were pulled sharply from that location. When their feet hit the ground, Harry and Cyradis lost their balance and fell, Cyradis still clinging to Harry. Remus reached out to help them up. He grasped one of Harry's hands and one of Cyradis' and was about to pull them up when, to everyone's shock, Cyradis screamed as though she were being tortured. She pulled away from the werewolf and curled up, sobbing, on the floor of number 12 Grimmauld Place. She had her head in her hands and was rocking back and forth, not unlike to Dobby in distress.

Harry went to her, naturally. He took her in his arms and said, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Cyradis looked up at him, her face tear stained, and her eyes watery from crying. Harry looked into those eyes that mirrored his own and jumped to his feet with a cry. "What the-?" he stared at Remus, who looked worried, and then he looked back down at Cyradis. When he had looked into her eyes, he had seen Moony's worst ever experience and it was truly horrible. Images of his father's best friend's first ever transformation into a werewolf had flickered in his mind. Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he suspected that Cyradis had felt the pain Moony had felt and he looked into her eyes.Why did you see that?

It is my weakness. I see all. Please don't let anyone else touch me her eyes pleaded with him.

Harry made that promise and once again held her. He then looked back to Remus, feeling as though he owed the poor guy an explanation. He was looking haunted and fearful for Cyradis, as though he thought it was his own fault that she was in pain. "It wasn't you, Remus," Harry explained as he noticed others had entered the room, inspecting the cause of the disturbance. "When Cyradis touched you, she saw and felt your worst memory," Harry winced at what he had glimpsed and gave him a pitying look.

Remus had gone stark white. He groaned and dropped his head in his hands, mumbling, "I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enemy".

Cyradis recovered in the time she spent cuddling Harry, which took up the better part of that day. He then led her to the bathroom, where Mrs Weasley had drawn a nice hot bath and left a pile of clean clothing for her. Harry stared when she came out clean and wearing magenta robes. When Cyradis refused to go within five feet of Mrs Weasley, she forced him to brush her hair, supervising every stroke for over half an hour. They spent the rest of the day discussing the magical world and reading books until Mrs Weasley called them down to dinner. Everyone greeted Harry and gave Cyradis a kind smile, except for Snape who was still seething over the thought of two Potters at once. Cyradis had a firm grip on Harry's right arm and only let go when they sat down at the table, at which point her chair was quite close to Harry's and she ate very little, looking nowhere but down at the table and at Harry.

Harry worried about Cyradis' behaviour. The thought of her clinging to him and never speaking to anyone else made him cringe. Sure, he was fond of her, but he didn't want to spend every waking moment with her practically attached to him. After dinner, Dumbledore informed Harry and his other half that she would be going to Hogwarts.

"However, I am uncertain as to which year to place you in. I would assume that you have no former education and, therefore, have a lot of catching up to do," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement.

Cyradis glanced at Harry, I am uncertain as to how to answer this but perhaps it would be best if I started from the beginning and caught up

"She thinks that she should start as a first year because she doesn't really know anything and that perhaps she could progress from there," Harry informed the headmaster, "Personally, I think she should be able to go through each year faster than other students until she is up to my year". Harry smiled wryly, "If she is my 'mental' half than she should be at least as smart as Hermione, I guess".

"Very well. When you receive your letters, someone from the Order will take you both to Diagon Alley. In the meantime, you will be taken back to your Aunt and Uncle's tomorrow morning. They have been firmly warned not to mistreat either of you and if you should find yourself in trouble with them again, they will be reminded," at this, Dumbledore's tone seemed to darken, indicating that their being reminded would not be altogether pleasant.

A thought occurred to Harry. "Sir, how did you know that I was in trouble those times?"

Dumbledore came out of his dark thoughts and smiled at Harry. "There was a charm in your glasses. Each time they were broken, we knew that you were in some kind of trouble, though sometimes it takes a while longer than it ought to for someone to come because we are short of members. I am sorry to say that it took us a number of hours to react to the signal this last time due to the fact that Voldemort has taken it into his own hands to cause havoc".

"What happened?" Harry jumped up from his seat.

Dumbledore looked wearily away from Harry's eyes, "He attacked a muggle shopping centre. Thirty-eight died. We were too late".

Dumbledore was startled out of his mournful state when Harry punched a wall. Harry was just as surprised as Dumbledore when his fist went clean through the wall and he pulled it back out. A large splintered chunk of wood was wedged in between Harry's knuckles and blood was running down his arm. Harry stared at it. He felt no pain.

"Harry..." Dumbledore started but suddenly Snape and Remus burst into the room with their wands raised.

"Professor, what-?" Snape began to ask but then he spotted Harry's hand. Remus was frowning at the hole in the wall and then looked to Cyradis. She seemed to be in pain as she held onto Harry's shoulder. Her right hand hung limply by her side, shaking, whilst Harry's right hand had a chunk of wood wedged into it and he seemed to be in no pain at all. Before Remus could go forward to help them, Cyradis closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the chunk of wood oozed out of the wound in Harry's hand and dropped to the floor, then the wound began to close up and the blood simply vanished.

Everyone stared in amazement at what Cyradis had done and Harry held onto her as her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

"Cyradis?" Harry said breathlessly, "What just happened?"

Cyradis lifted her head to look into his eyes, You are the strength of the Night Mage but I am the other half and I should not see you harmed either She placed her palm over her heart, I love you as a brother, Harry. As long as we are together, everything will be all right she then wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Err, Harry?" Harry looked up in surprise. He had completely forgotten others were in the room with them and could feel the colour rising in his cheeks, "Huh?"

"Would you care to enlighten us?" Professor Dumbledore asked in mere amusement.

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly, "Err, she said something like, as long as we are together, everything will, uh, be ok".

"Sounds pathetic, Potter," Snape sneered.

Harry blushed further. "Hey, those were not my words," he said innocently, feeling even more stupid for trying to justify himself to Snape.

"I am certain not all of your incompetence was transferred to your female doppelganger. If she is indeed your smarter half, then I would hate to think how you plan to achieve becoming an auror," he smirked.

Harry was feeling particularly pissed when Remus interrupted the little exchange. "Severus, that was entirely inappropriate and rather childish," he said disapprovingly.

"Shut up, werewolf," Snape snapped back.

"Now, now, I think it is time we all got some rest. Severus, Remus, I will see you downstairs in just a moment," Dumbledore's tone indicated that that was final and they both filed out, throwing one another dirty looks, or, at least, Snape was certainly throwing some dirty looks whilst Remus just looked disappointed at not having a chance to speak to Harry.

"Harry, I would like to have a word to you concerning the events of the past year," Dumbledore chose his words carefully.

Harry had been expecting this and, rather, dreading it. He had tried to forget what had happened so hard that it hurt even more now that he was reminded of such events. He also remembered what he had said to Dumbledore afterwards and the tears in the headmaster's eyes. Harry sighed heavily, "I'd rather not talk about it," he said tonelessly, glaring hard at the floor.

"Harry, I just want you to be happy. You haven't even asked about Ronald and Hermione. Something is obviously wrong," he said concernedly.

"I have had a lot on my mind of late, in case you hadn't noticed. First I get beaten up, then I have a vision of a secret prophesy and find that I am only a half of what I ought to be, then I get beaten up again. Isn't that enough?" Harry hated himself for speaking to the headmaster in such a tone but loathed the subject to no end. "I mean, the original prophesy was intrepid enough for me in the first place and now I have to walk around and fight off the Dark Lord with her attached to my arm," Harry's voice was rising and he hated himself even more for the way he had spoken about Cyradis. "Why can't you just leave it?" Harry stormed over to the door but it slammed in his face.

He turned on Dumbledore, "Open it!"

"Harry, as much I will admit that that was what I had intended to do, it was not I," Dumbledore spoke calmly.

"What do you mean, it wasn't-" Harry faltered as he realised the significance of the professor's words. He turned on Cyradis instead. She was still hanging off his arm but nolonger seemed as vulnerable as she always did, "Why?" Harry demanded angrily.

He wants to help you Cyradis' mind was calm, if not with a flare.

"You're all against me?" Harry shouted and spun around to face the door once again. He pulled his arm out of Cyradis' grip and punched the door solidly. It burst open and he stormed out. No sooner had he left the room than he walked straight into wall and landed flat on his back. He had, of course, completely forgotten that he could not see without being in Cyradis' presence and was, at that point, feeling completely as though the world had turned on him, as it so often did. Suddenly he could see again. He swiftly brushed Cyradis' outstretched hand aside and stormed off, being careful not to fall over or run into anything when he turned a corner in the hallway. He had one hand following the wall and another out in front of him as he proceeded down the staircase like a blind person.

"Potter, I always thought you were a-"

"Shut up, Snape!" Harry hissed vehemently as he proceeded to stumble over to a couch in the living room, almost tripping over a hearthrug in the process.

"Harry, where is Cyradis?" Remus asked. It was the first time he had seen Harry without her since he had been found unconscious in the cupboard under the stairs at the Dursley's place.

"Why does it matter?" Harry's reply was angry as he crossed his arms in a huff, "Aren't I good enough to be around without my 'other half'?" He did not mean a word he said, but the mood had taken away his sense.

"No, Potter, you are never good enough to be-"

"Shut up, Snape!" Harry felt Remus sit down next to him, "That's not what I meant, Harry, and you should know that," he spoke quietly and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"I've had more than enough cuddles, Remus," Harry said hotly, nevertheless enjoying the fatherly presence of his former professor.

"Harry-" Remus began.

"Go away!" Harry said.

Remus looked hurt, then he saw that Harry had turned around and was glaring at the bottom of the staircase. He looked there also and found that Cyradis was standing there. Her face was stricken and her eyes seemed on the verge of tears. I need you

"What you need I cannot give you," Harry replied, refusing to mind-speak with her.

I love you

"You love me only as you love yourself," Harry's words seemed to have hit home because sudden tears flowed down Cyradis' pale face. Harry stared. Her tears were blood. Harry gasped as he felt pain. He clutched at his heart and winced, "Stop it!"

"Harry!" Remus was holding Harry's shoulders as he was having difficulty breathing.

Dumbledore appeared in the room, "Perhaps the two of you do not know it, but if either one of you rejects the other, the results can be catastrophic. Now stop this childishness," Dumbledore looked sternly at Harry, "Your words are killing her and yourself!"

By then Harry had near passed out and Cyradis was crying more blood. He said all that he could think of to make it stop, "I love you," and then he fell into darkness.


	3. Gebyadrejin and the Dark Elves

Harry groaned as light shone in his eyes. He tried to get rid of it by turning his head, but to no avail. Going to drastic measures to refrain from having to wake up, he rolled over.  
Dumbledore smiled as Harry stirred in his sleep. Light from the window was shining in his face and he tried to turn his face in any other direction to avoid it. Through the course of the night, Madam Pomfrey had come and healed Harry and Cyradis, as they were both beyond consciousness and could by no means heal themselves. They had both had small holes growing in their hearts from Harry's ill spoken words and were not ready to be separated so harshly. Dumbledore was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud thump. He started and looked up.  
Harry was lying sprawled on the floor with his face pressed against the floorboards. He groaned loudly and rolled over, rubbing his face from the impact and opening his eyes blearily. What he was doing on the floor remained a mystery to him, so he lay there and wondered where he was. Then it struck him so suddenly that he sat bolt upright and stared around wildly. No sooner had he done so than Cyradis' mind was alerted of his awakening and she jumped out of bed and went to his side. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes, not thinking in words but in emotions, then they embraced.  
Harry was the first to end the embrace, "I'm sorry, Cyradis. I shouldn't have lost control like that. It's just... I lost someone that I loved very much and being reminded of him is so painful". Harry wiped away his tears in shame.  
"Never be ashamed to cry, Harry," Harry looked up in surprise at her words, for he had not heard her actually speak since she had woken in his bedroom at the Dursley's, "If there was a better man, he would quail under the pressure of losing so much, only to be destined to a life of horror and misery".  
She sounded so wise that Harry just stared and wondered. She was always so different. One minute she was a shy little girl, the next she was speaking confidently and even praising him. Yes, "'If' there was a better man" was definitely a compliment, Harry concluded.  
"That is little comfort," Harry muttered broodingly, still pondering over the dramatic change in his 'twin'. Then he thought of something, "Why are you only normal when only I am around you?"  
Cyradis hesitated, "Well, being around you is like being alone and I am no good around people because I am afraid that they will touch me".  
"What do you mean by that?" Harry said in mock offence, "Well, if my company isn't good enough for you," he made to get up.  
"Harry, that is not what I meant!" Cyradis grasped his arm. "Please don't leave me!"  
Harry smiled thoughtfully, "Well, how about we make a deal?" He was purposely putting her in a tough place, knowing that she would not refuse and, at the same time, devising a plan in which he might make her come out of her 'shell' around other people.  
"What do you ask of me?" Cyradis said pleadingly.  
Harry put on an act of looking thoughtful, then said, "Suppose that I only hang around you if you be normal..."  
"I will try this act of normalcy, if you were but willing to keep me with you," Cyradis informed him eagerly.

"Well," Harry said slowly, savouring the pleading expression on her face, "It's a deal!"

Cyradis smiled broadly and enveloped him in a hug. "You have much to teach me!"

Harry snorted, "That's for sure!" and laughed at her.

"I want to learn magic, Harry!" Cyradis said excitedly, pulling away from Harry and gazing up at him brightly from where she was kneeling on the floor.

"But you did do magic," Harry frowned, "You healed my hand and you made that door seal itself," then Harry remembered the incident, "Why did you do that, anyway?"

"Because, Dumbledore was of pure heart and reason. He only wanted to help you and he loves you like a son," Cyradis said seriously, all evidence of smiling now completely gone.

Harry stared at her. Of all the things for her to say, this was the last thing he had expected. "Uh, what gives you that impression?" Harry asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling flushed.

Cyradis smiled mysteriously, "I see all".

Harry was silent for a moment, "If you see all, then how come you let these little things happen before you decide to conveniently mention that you know all about them and why they happen?"

Cyradis thought about it for a moment, "Well, I have the information in my head... but I can't know it all until there comes a reason for asking myself a question of why, you understand?" She looked at him enquiringly.

Harry blinked.

Cyradis sighed. "Lets see. When you could suddenly see when you were around me, I only then knew why. I would never have guessed to tell you that you needn't wear your glasses anymore, but when you suddenly exclaimed that you could see, I knew why because I already knew, in a sense, but I didn't know it," she tried to elaborate.

Silence. "Um, err, maybe I wasn't meant to see all," Harry grinned sheepishly.

Cyradis smiled, "I am so glad you understand me, "she said with heavy sarcasm.

As they continued their friendly banter, Albus Dumbledore stood silently in the corner with a merry twinkle in his eyes. He had watched the duo as they had conversed and was pleased to see that Cyradis was interacting in a friendly manner. He decided, at that point, to step in. Both Harry's and Cyradis' heads shot up as they saw movement out of the corner of their eyes. There stood Dumbledore in all his glory and smiling down on them as they kneeled on the wooden floor.

"You were standing there the entire time, weren't you?" Harry stated, looking slightly harassed. "Eavesdropping is rude, you know," he raised a brow at Dumbledore as though asking what his excuse was.

Dumbledore chuckled. "You should have looked to see if anyone was nearby if you wished for your conversation to be private".

Harry was about to answer back but Cyradis, surprisingly, beat him to it, "You concealed yourself, otherwise I would have known of your presence," she said coolly, tilting her head at the headmaster.

Dumbledore chuckled again, "Indeed, you are correct. And I believe Harry will remember a similar occurrence in his first year when he snuck out of his dormitory at night to visit the Mirror of Erised".

Harry did remember quite well but refrained from asking how he had done, resigning himself from going through the process of explanation and understanding. Instead he looked to Cyradis to study her sudden act of confidence. He could see from her tenseness that it was just that, an act and noticed that her left hand was moving rhythmically, her thumb tapping each other finger repeatedly and in chronological order.

Dumbledore conveniently changed the subject at the sight of Cyradis' nervousness, amusing as it was, and spoke, "I need to clear up a few things that were unable to be taken care of yesterday evening. There is of course the question of whether Cyradis needs to be kept a secret. I have already decided against informing the Ministry, however, this will mean that your time for being together at Hogwarts will be greatly effected. If the students find out, then you can almost certainly guarantee that the Ministry will get wind of your relationship and... make life difficult, as you, Harry, have found in the past," he explained. "I am sure Harry will agree with me when I say that my decision is to keep you in the background of this whole affair," Dumbledore paused and Harry felt a 'but' coming on, "however, your bond is too great to go unnoticed for too long, so I will leave it in your hands to keep this as... discreet... as possible from the other students until you no longer can. But also keep in mind that the Ministry is full of Death Eaters and if we can keep Cyradis' whereabouts unknown to them, I would strongly advise it," he left that hanging in the midst of an impenetrable silence before neatly composing himself to continue.

"What if someone touches me?" Cyradis interrupted.

"Yeah, I mean, won't it seem a little suspicious if she starts screaming for no apparent reason?" Harry agreed.

"I am sure a pair of gloves would suffice," Dumbledore replied calmly.

Cyradis' mind was awhirl. There were too many 'what ifs' to consider all at once. Harry noticed how lost she looked and wrapped his arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"There is also this other matter that you have been trying to evade," Dumbledore proceeded with care, examining Harry's sullen features at the mention of the intrepid discussion, "Harry, are you depressed?"

Harry was caught off guard by the bluntness of this question and looked up at the aged headmaster in shock. "Well," he tried to answer but the truth was too harsh. Was he depressed about losing Sirius, the closest thing he had to a father? Yes, he most definitely was. A nasty little voice in his head was jeering at him, "You don't deserved to be depressed. It was you who got him killed in the first place with your gullibility and pathetic attempt at playing the hero!"

Dumbledore, sensing his inner battle, spoke, "We all make bad decisions from which we are then to learn, but it does not do to dwell on the past, as you did not kill Sirius, nor force him into such a position as to be left bereft of his life-"

"But I did!" Harry interrupted fiercely, tears stinging his eyes, "If I hadn't been so stupid, he would have never have come to help me in the first place!"

"It was his decision to make," Dumbledore said firmly but not unkindly.

Harry took a deep, shaking breath and closed his eyes, "Nothing you or anyone says can bring him back. I don't want to talk about it," he said with finality. There was a long silence that was so intense that Harry held his breath, not wanting to be the first to speak. Harry stared at the floor, examining its every small crevice, while Dumbledore gazed at Harry, waiting for him to meet his eyes.

Cyradis closed her eyes and relaxed into a meditative state, trying to channel this calm to him. It was one of those times when she would only understand it when the time came, though she still did not quite understand what possessed her to do it. Everything went blank before images began to swirls around her, forming into some kind of chamber. The room was dim and, for all she knew, could have been the size of a hall, but what she could see made her tremble. She did not fear him, but still the memory of the pain in his touch was hard to bear. Lord Voldemort's darkest memories and nightmare had been so terrible that a lock of Cyradis' hair had turned white, only to be magnified by Harry's first touch at the same time. Cyradis could either be bound to Harry or Voldemort at one time and having them both touch her at once, even for a moment, was too much darkness and power and caused her pain worse than the Cruciatus. Now that she had been bound to Harry, his memories would not torment her but she feared that if Voldemort were to touch her again, she would die or lose her mind...

He smirked down at her, his red eyes glowing with anticipation. "Join me, child," he offers, approaching her.

Cyradis stares, frowning as though trying to think when really she was trying to find a way out. "How?" she whispers.

The Dark Lord did not seem to comprehend the meaning of the question, as he held out his hand to her, "Come to me".

"How am I here?" she whispered once more, backing away from his outstretched hand and staring morbidly up at him. "We have a connection. I touched you once and that was enough. I beckoned to you and you came," he speaks.

Cyradis know that she must escape, lest he touch her and succeed in possessing her. "Am I really here or is it only in my mind?" she asks, stalling.

"Right now, I have only your mind, but if you will come to me..." he reaches out to her once more, stepping forward.

"But if I join you now, then what good will I be?" Cyradis is thinking fast.

"Join me now and you can be no better," he assures.

"Are there not things that you need to know, secrets that I might learn for you? Harry will tell me anything," Cyradis knows that if she does not stay calm and cool, the Dark Lord will not even consider her suggestion. She keeps a completely neutral expression, not allowing herself to break eye contact with Voldemort.

There is a long silence that is broken by the Dark Lord's hiss, "There Prophecy! Yes, you could indeed be so useful. However," Cyradis looks up at him sharply at this, "I need more than just your word on this".

Cyradis cannot help the overwhelming sense of dread that fills her as Lord Voldemort raises his wand. She looks around in hope an escape route, but finds herself surrounded by Death Eaters. One of them catches her eye. She recognises his dark pools of eyes behind the Death Eater's mask but can sense that his intent is not ill, for she does not feel the evil radiating off of him like the others.

"Gileenelt dreogsorshiyor," Lord Voldemort hissed, performing an intricate wand movement. Magenta light exploded from his wand but Cyradis dared not look as she stared intently at the Death Eater with a forlorn expression. Then she felt it. The light enveloped her body and she could feel her every cell screaming against the dark magic. She screamed and dropped to the ground, writhing. The pain was so intense that her heart stopped and she lay there gaping in a silent scream, unable to catch her breath until she finally passed out.

At the same time, Harry had been having a silent protest against talking about his godfather when he clasped at his heart. He gasped and turned to stare at Cyradis, but she sat there silently with her eyes closed.

"What is it?" Dumbledore asked concernedly, making to move towards Harry, who was, by then, hitting himself where his heart ought to be. Dumbledore clasped him by the shoulders to stop him from falling and shouted for help as Harry's eyes rolled into the back of his head and Cyradis fell to the floor in a heap.

The Dark Lord had watched in satisfaction as Cyradis' form had slowly faded and her mind was released back to its body. "Severus," he spoke harshly, beckoning to his Death Eater.

"Yes Master," he knelt before Lord Voldemort. He dearly hoped that the Dark Lord had not seen the girl staring at him or he would suffer worse than death. He had come back into the Dark Lord's service as a spy for Dumbledore and had suffered greatly for not being present when he was reborn on that fateful night, not to mention it had taken almost a year for him to be trusted with more important information.

"You will watch the girl at that fool's school and see that she does not go against her word. I want that prophecy!"  
  
Cyradis burst back into consciousness gasping and tried to jump to her feet only to find herself being held down by professors Dumbledore and Snape. Forcing herself to calm down, she asks, "Where is Harry?"

"He has not yet regained consciousness," answers Dumbledore in a sad tone.

"Good," says Cyradis without thinking and, in turn, receiving a piercing stare from Dumbledore, "I didn't mean it like that, but I think it would be best if he did not know of what has happened," she turns to professor Snape, "I would take it that you have informed Dumbledore of the recent occurrence. Does anyone else know?"

"No. Why does that matter?" Snape snaps, glaring down at her with his arms folded. He does not mean to be so harsh but does not want Potter's 'sister' to think that he pities her, even if he does in the slightest.

"I refuse to help Voldemort but he can still read minds and Harry does not know Occlumency and if he knows, Voldemort could find out that I have no intention of joining him, even though he must already suspect that I won't," Cyradis spoke quickly. "Could you perhaps teach me Occlumency?"

Snape sneered, "And what makes you think that you are any better than Potter?"

"I can control my emotions and I already know meditation, that being why it did not hurt to be summoned by Voldemort," Cyradis then remembered the most important question and wondered why that wasn't the first thing for her to have asked, "What did he do to me?"

Snape dropped his leering you're-a-Potter-and-I-hate-you stance and looked her in the eyes. Cyradis knew then that the answer was not going to be pleasant. "He cursed you in the Gebyadrejin, a Black Curse and one of the Forgotten," he murmured.

"What will happen to me?" Cyradis whispers, not breaking eye contact.

Snape is silent for a moment, "I believe he cast the Night Curse. It only works if you go against your word but when it does... Every night afterwards, you will turn into a frenzied Vampiric creature and attack everything you come in contact with until Lord Voldemort releases you or death takes you. I am not certain if that is all that happens, for this curse is not named Forgotten for no reason. It is an ancient magic used by the Dark Elves of the fifteen hundreds. There are few powerful enough to perform this magic and I assure that even Voldemort will sleep soundly tonight, if anything that evil can sleep".

Cyradis stares down as her bed cover. She was in the girl's bedroom at Grimmauld Place and had obviously been unconscious for some time; "Will it happen tonight?" she looks back up to Snape.

He seems to hesitate a moment, caught in indecision, "Yes, unless I find another way," he pauses as though expecting Cyradis to burst out into sobs of pleading but she merely watches him patiently, "Only five true Dark Elves remain alive. Two chose to live out their lives protecting the knowledge and castle of the Gebyadrejinlegi, dwelling of the dark kin, while another two wanted to live a free life and go as they please. The last one knew not which path to follow and felt left out, so he aids Lord Voldemort in the art of the Forgotten, and that is how he was capable of cursing you so," Snape fall silent.

Cyradis could sense that he would rather not reveal such things to her but remains silent, simply listening. She believes that if he wished to tell her something, then his words should not be questioned, but merely accepted. When Snape seems at a loss for how to propose his next piece of information, she prods without questioning, "You knew them," she stated calmly. After all, there was no point in panic; for there was no way that she could prevent the inevitable.

Snape's eyes give her a searching look once she had spoken, "Yes," and then, "You are too observant for your own good," he sneers, his dark hair falling like a curtain around his face, giving him a haunting look. "As I said, the first two, Laroo and Laryorelt, protected Gebyadrejinlegi and did not associate with humans while the second two, Yashi and Leshi, roamed the earth and befriended three orphaned children, exchanging blood and bringing them up as their own. They were named Railefelyor (life), Yafeleltyorsor (after) and Belyaeltod (death). Life after death. You know, the irony of it was that Life and After died while Death did not. It just proceeds to tell one that there is no life after death," his words were so bitter that Cyradis did not even have to guess.

"Ersooog yasoryor Belyaeltod," Cyradis stated with a hint of sadness (You are Death).

Snape stared at her, his eyes alarmed, furious and in awe all at once, "How do you know these words?!" he demanded.

"I know only what is revealed to my mind-" Cyradis tried to explain.

"You mustn't speak the words of the Black Tongue! You could have caused more damage by such a simple proclamation than an avalanche!" Snape is furious at this point. "Headmaster!" he turns to Dumbledore, who has stood silently and listened to the entire conversation, "I cannot take her if she is going to say such perfectly stupid things! If she had mispronounced the 'o' in Ersooog and the 'yor' in yasoryor, she could have caused for me to have an attack!"

Cyradis had not known Snape for long, but if she had (and if she were any normal witch), she would have been shocked to see him in such a state. His teeth were bared in anger and his face was a pure mask of hatred and... hurt? Cyradis was so deep in thought that she half-heartedly paid attention as Dumbledore firmly insist that Snape take her to Yashi and Leshi and try to undo what was supposedly irreversible. Therefore it was to her utmost shock that she found Snape standing before her. She watched in slow motion as his hand reached out to grab her and she quickly rolled out of the opposite side of the bed, barely able to land on her feet. She stared at Snape as barely recognisable realisation dawned on his face and he turned sharply to Dumbledore.

"If she messes this up, there is no way in hell I am going to train Potter!" he spat Harry's name before rounding on her. He pulled out his wand and muttered a summoning charm. A pair of gloves and a rusted old chain flew into the room and Snape caught them fluently. He threw the black, leather gloved to her and barked, "Hurry up and put them on!" He then made sure she was holding firmly onto the chain before tapping it once with his wand and Cyradis felt the familiar sensation of a portkey.

When their feet hit the earth, Cyradis lost her footing and was falling when a strong hand grasped her gloved hand and pulled her up. Cyradis regained her footing and nodded appreciatively to Snape. She was dressed in a pale night gown and a pair of black, leather gloves, not that she particularly cared, and they were standing by a small stream in what appeared to be a rainforest.

In a surprisingly harmonious voice, Snape chanted, "Leelt leshi yashi leelt leshi!" (it is as it is). Cyradis watched in wonder as the empty space a few feet from her shimmered darkly and two figures appeared. A man and a woman, both with telltale pointed ears and piercing blue eyes, approached, their fluid movement entrancing her. "Chale Belyaeltod!" they greeted kindly to Snape who replied, in turn, "Chale Leshi yagibi Yashi!" They then formally embraced, which involved clasping hands, leaning forward and grasping each other's shoulder with their free hand.

Cyradis watched with amusement and was slightly startled when the female Dark Elf caught her eyes and smiled sadly. The male Dark Elf also looked at her but he frowned before turning his head sharply to stare at Snape, his long, dark as the night sky hair falling across his face. They began discussing her in their own language but Cyradis was not listening.

She worried about Harry. They had only been together for little more than a day after an entire lifetime apart and they still needed a lot of time together before the bond was securely in place. Little did she know that at the same time Harry was having a vision:

_There was an unending field of dead. The lifeless bodies of small children lay strewn crudely in the pools of blood and dirt. Upon this field stood the only living creature in sight. _

_Cyradis. _

_She was all in dark clothing a wielded a black sword with green jewels. Along the blade of the sword were the clear, shining letters: SLYTHERIN. _

_Lord Voldemort materialised before her, smirking at the death and horror that surrounded him. _

_"I have done as you commanded my Lord," Cyradis spoke obediently, "I could not kill Potter myself so I destroyed all that he held dear and forced him to reft away his own life. Your power has made me strong, my Lord," she looks into his eyes at this point, something that not even the most loyal Death Eaters dare to do, "but I am dying. I have distributed my power evenly and so that I may give birth to your child before my time of passing". She then proceeds to kneel before Voldemort and bow her head, holding the sword by the blade before her so that the Dark Lord could claim it once more. The sword that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin...  
_"No!" Harry screamed as he woke.


	4. Snape's Secrets and the Transformation

This is where you left off:  
  
_"I have done as you commanded my Lord," Cyradis spoke obediently, "I could not kill Potter myself so I destroyed all that he held dear and forced him to reft away his own life. Your power has made me strong, my Lord," she looks into his eyes at this point, something that not even the most loyal Death Eaters dare to do, "but I am dying. I have distributed my power evenly and so that I may give birth to your child before my time of passing". She then proceeds to kneel before Voldemort and bow her head, holding the sword by the blade before her so that the Dark Lord could claim it once more. The sword that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin...  
_"No!" Harry screamed as he woke.  
  
Remus started as Harry finally woke from his fitful sleep with such a scream. "Whoa, Harry, its alright. What happened?" he tried to comfort the boy, sitting on his bedside and handing him his glasses.  
"Where is Cyradis?" "She is fine. There was still a lot of damage in her heart that had gone undetected so she is still seeking medical help, but she is well and misses you," he lies comfortingly. This was the story they had come up with to ensure that Voldemort did not get wind of Cyradis' disloyalty to him, however much he was loath to lie to Harry.

"I had a vision about her," his face is a mask of pain and horror and he closes his eyes as though it were too much for him. "She will turn evil," he whispers.

Remus hides his worry and fear, "Harry, I sincerely doubt that. She is, after all, a part of you and I would entrust you with my life".

Harry opens his ayes and stares at Remus, his pained expression not faltering, "You did not see what I saw," he shudders, "Voldemort will take her and when he does... when he does she will be the death of me!"

"Harry, we will not let him take her," Remus has taken hold of Harry's shoulders, making him look him in the eye, and speaks firmly yet not unkindly. "I would not let that happen".

Harry continues to stare at his father's best friend even after he releases him, "Thankyou," he croaks.

Remus looks at him sharply and found that Harry was barely restraining the tears that threatened to fall.

"It means a lot to me that you feel that way," he whispers, as though half ashamed to speak.

"Oh, Harry, there are many who would give their right hand for you," Remus wraps his arms around him.

"Yeah, and there are many who think I'm crazy and dangerous," Harry mutters bitterly.

Remus smiles sadly, "I think you'll find that things have changed considerably since your encounter at the Ministry of Magic".

They decided to leave the discussion of his vision until Dumbledore had arrived back from urgent business so, once Harry has refreshed himself and dressed, they both proceeded downstairs to the kitchen for some lunch.

"Where is everyone?" asked Harry, seeing that place seemed to be completely devoid of human inhabitants. "Well, the Weasleys are all staying at the burrow, except, of course, Percy and Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Strgis Podmore, Hestia Jones and a number of other members that you may not know are spying and keeping their eyes open at the Ministry, as far as I know. Mundungus is smuggling, as per usual, although, perhaps, being helpful in that way for once. Also, I believe, Moody is keeping an eye out at Diagon Alley and Snape is brewing some healing potions in case of another attack," Remus lied about Snape, of course, and it was killing him.

"Have you heard from Hermione?"

"She is doing fine. She actually convinced her parents to buy her some rather interesting Dark Arts books from Diagon Alley, the last I heard," he mused. They are silent for a moment as Remus prepares lunch.

"So, is anyone here other than us?"

"Ah, I believe Mr Diggory and-"

Harry felt a sharp gang of guilt and quickly tried to hide it from the werewolf, but to no avail. Luckily for Harry, Remus decided to drop it. There was no point to bringing up a painful memory, after all, and Harry had many.  
  
**MEANWHILE:**  
  
Cyradis had wandered from Yashi, Leshi and Snape as they heatedly discussed her. She walked barefoot to a towering, great tree that had to have been hundreds or even thousands of years old. She felt so alone without Harry and she longed to be help, or even for a simple touch from the living. Slowly, she slipped off a glove and reached out her hand to the tree. She sensed rather than felt that there was no evil before her but one could never be sure. She braced herself and touched the tree.

A powerful and wonderful sensation filled her. It started at her fingertips and, slowly, a warm, merry feeling had grasped hold of her. She felt as though she was floating on a cloud and her eyes drifted shut. She had the sudden urge to climb the magnificent tree, so she did. It was awkward at first and she kept slipping, but then she discarded both the gloves and climbed higher until she found a nice, thick branch to lie on and glimpse the cloudless sky through the dense braches of the dark rainforest. Cyradis knew not how long she laid there in perfect peace for the first time in her life but only knew that she was snapped out of her trance by a voice, "Nice up here, isn't it?"

She lifted her head up to see the male Dark Elf standing on one of the lower branches and watching her with amusement.

Cyradis smiled, "I have never felt such complete peace, as though this tree does not have a care in the world".

The Dark Elf smirked, "You have a gift, indeed, though I do not doubt that it may be more of a curse at the best of times. I am Yashi," he introduces himself, holding out a hand to her.

Cyradis flinches back but then sees that he is wearing gloves and takes his hand. Unexpectedly, Yashi pulls her from the branch and she falls. She holds her breath and tries desperately to grasp a branch as she falls, head first. She manages to hook her arm on a large branch but then her whole body swung around and she lost her grip. Luckily, there was not much further to fall and she was no longer going headfirst so she landed with a soft thud in a thick growth of vines.

Yashi lands lightly on his feet and heads in her direction with Leshi and Snape. At first they assume she is crying, then she turns to them and they see that she is laughing merrily, her face bright and careless though she has just fallen many feet from a tree.

"Did you hit your head when you fell?" Snape asked distastefully, giving her a dirty look.

Leshi smiled, "No, I believe she is truly happy for some reason or other, not senile".

"Indeed, she did speak of the tree making her feel... at peace," Yashi replied, frowning.

"Indeed!" laughed Cyradis, "The positive emotions of that dear tree are infectious and cannot be spoilt by a simple fall!"

"A simple fall?" Yashi smirks at Leshi, "I'd hate to kill her joy but I think it is high time for us to cure the addiction," he murmurs. They both remove their gloves and approach a still giggling Cyradis.

They both reach out a hand and Cyradis looks wryly at them, "Don't you know? I cannot touch you".

"Listen, we need you to be completely serious when we make our proposal so I'll feed you a relatively morbid memory and then you can come back to the world of normalcy," Yashi explains in a bored tone, "I can control what you see, otherwise you'd probably go insane at my touch".

Cyradis sighs, "I know I can come back to the tree whenever I am feeling lonely and lost". She reached out a shaking hand and briefly wondered why she was trusting a Dark Elf who had just thrown her out of a ridiculously high tree before she was plunged into dark memories.

_"Railefelyor! Railefelyor! NO!!!!" A girl, no older than thirteen is being torn to pieces by a terrible, great beast. Its claws digging into her flesh and shredding her body to pieces while she still lived. _

_She neither screamed nor cried but with her last, dying breath, she spoke, "Raileeauyor!" _

_"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" _

Cyradis shouted out in alarm and snatched her hand back, "You call that mild?!"

"You weren't screaming and writhing on the ground," Yashi says emotionlessly.

Cyradis says nothing but takes a few deep breaths. It was very difficult to make her lose control and she quickly regained her composure, "You wanted to speak to me about something?"

Snape was staring at her. She had just done something that he himself was unofficially famous for. The Masking of Emotions. He shook himself from his musing. He reminded himself that he did not particularly give a damn about this foolish girl who was related to Potter and ought not to even look at her, lest she decide to give him some unwanted attention. Then he remembered one of the ways in which she could cheat the curse and a fresh wave of loathing made it all so much easier for him to hate her, not that he had a problem with it in the first place.

"You know of the curse that is upon you," spoke Yashi, "So far as we, the Dark Elves, know, there are three possible ways to trick your enemy. The first, and least advised, is to do nothing and come with us every night for the extremely painful transformation. Though, if we did not give you live, human victims each time you might attack yourself and eventually die an extremely painful death".

"People at Hogwarts would surely notice your absence if they knew what they were looking for anyway, so that isn't really an option," Leshi adds.

"The second option, and your most likely course of action, would be to embrace this curse, well, sort of, and become a Dark Elf like Belyaeltod," he nods to Snape.

"We would train you as one of us and would share our blood but you would still be cursed and there is no going back from being a Dark Elf if the curse is lifted," Leshi puts in helpfully.

"We, also, do not know all of the side effects of this particular Forgotten if we are to treat you with the particular potions and training that we are proposing to do," Yashi frowns, "Not many humans have been cursed this way and none have made it to our presence. There would be a lot of learning on our behalf..."

"But the third way," says Leshi with a note of morbidity, "would be to go after the Dark Lord and kill him, which, I deem, is an impossibility".

Cyradis hesitates. She could read Snape's feelings towards the second and most successful option and it made her feel terrible. Snape had obviously gone through a lot and had loved his Dark Elven siblings beyond understanding and it must pain him terribly to find out that he might have a new 'sister' to welcome, or ignore completely... "I need time to think," she said at last, her face a mask of doubt.

"Very well," speaks Yashi, "In the meantime, I will go and fetch your prey".

"What?"

"Oh, even if you chose the way of the Dark Elves, it would take about two days to complete the ritual and turning and if you do not have at least one human to feed on with each transformation, you would go insane and kill yourself," Yashi says cordially and smiles at the look of shock on her face, "Never killed, have you?"

"You'll get used to it," Leshi flashes a feminine smile and Cyradis is sure she sees fangs before both Leshi and Yashi dematerialise before their eyes.  
  
Cyradis stared at the place where they had been for a few silent moments before turning to see the retreating back of Snape. That of a Dark Elf could only hear his steps as he sweeps away from Cyradis, his every muscle tensing with concealed fury.  
  
**Snape's POV:  
  
**Damn! I mentally curse every Potter in history. I know what Yashi, my illegitimate father, had shown her, for that memory has haunted my every waking moment for the past thirty years or so. Being a Dark Elf, I am immortal, and therefore do not age. In all actuality, I am about fifty or sixty. I lost track of the years... so many of them spent alone...  
And now this damned Potter girl has to show up and Yashi and Leshi think they can replace Railefelyor and Yafeleltyorsor... I hate that pathetic child! She could never be a Dark Elf! Over my dead body! I can practically feel her eyes on me , watching me, smiling wickedly at me, reminding me... I know I am fooling myself but the thought that she is laughing at me behind my back makes it so much easier to loath her and yet so much more difficult to control my emotions. I need to get out of here!  
I glide between the trees, leaving her well behind me. Touching nothing and I run like a feather is swept away by the wind; soundless. Then it is before me. I see it and I feel as though a piece of sharp ice has stabbed me in the heart, sending a shiver down my spine. This was where my beloved Railefelyor died and where I took my vengeance, if that was what you could call it. The whole thing was nothing but an uncontrollable slaughter.  
  
**FLASHBACK:  
  
**"Why can't you let her be? She loves me and you just cannot let us be together!" Yafeleltyorsor bellows in my face. This had been an ongoing argument for the longest time, ever since Railefelyor had kissed him.  
"You are fooling yourself, brother, it is her own decision and you cannot persuade a flower to bud," I speak calmly back to him. I am the oldest after all and it is my place to guide them and be the one they look to for help. I was six when they found me, Yafeleltyorsor was five and dear, little Railefelyor was only three, the poor girl.  
"She told me she loved me!"  
"She loves you like a brother, Yaf, and that would be any being's blessing!" I smile at him, imagining Rai's rich, golden curls and pale blue eyes. Ah, bliss! She was quite the fairest girl he had ever seen.  
"I will not stand by and watch while you go behind my back and brew her love potions!" Yafeleltyorsor is seething, locks of his dark hair falling over his slightly pointed face. "That could be the only reason she would kiss an ugly slime ball such as yourself!"  
I can feel the colour draining from my face as my hands ever so slightly quiver with rage. Unluckily for me, he sees my weakness through my completely blank expression jeers, "Ersyor yasorelt Belyaeltod!"  
NOOO!!! FOOL!!! I know I will transform at any moment if I do not let my rage go through physical force. He spoke those words that are my weakest point: Ye art Death! I scream in pain and swing my arm around heavily, knocking my brother back through the air. I am trained to keep from transforming unless the magical words are spoken but Yaf does not have such control as I do. I watch in agony as he transforms before my eyes. I am able to prevent my transformation and drop to my knees, exhausted.  
Then Rai walks into the clearing and my heart skips a beat. Yaf has transformed into a large beast with enormous, great wings, resembling that of a bat's, and a snarling, hungry snout like a wolf. He lunges at Rai, claw tearing through her flesh and slitted, catlike eyes anticipating the spilling blood. NOOO!!! Rai does not scream. She is strong and endures the agony even as she is being ripped to pieces.  
Her eyes lock with his, "Raileeauyor!" she speaks with her last dying breath.

I can only watch as the beast bites her head off, savouring her blood with madness. I sense Yashi and Leshi appear behind me but I do not care. They are too late and I was too weak. Finally, Yaf is able to fight off the beast and he turns back into himself. He takes one look at the lock of golden hair amongst the blood and gore and lack of a body and keels over, heaving her blood all over the forest floor.

I am numb. I cannot move. I don't know what to do or what to feel. Emptiness... I stand up. Yashi and Leshi are behind me and I know that they dare not approach me lest I lose control and transform. Just now I blame them. If they hadn't turned us, we wouldn't have become the monsters that we were and we wouldn't be killing one another. I approach Yaf. He raises his head slowly and looks at me with such pain filled eyes that I falter in my step.

How dare he? He has just stolen away the one thing that I hold so dear the one person I love with all my heart and he dares to look so incredibly pained and remorseful. I want to kill him. I want to watch him beg for mercy. I can feel the change coming. It is not the transformation but a different change. It happens when a Dark Elf is filled with such wrath that he is literally bursting with magical energy. I feel my ears tingle and become pointed and my eyes sharpen and brighten, not unlike that of a Vampire. Then my midnight black hair lengthens and my skin turns and even milkier white even as my fingernails elongate into claws. I bare my Vampiric fangs at him.

"Kill me!" Yafeleltyorsor begs, grasping the hem of my robes. I did not expect this. He begs for death and not mercy. I care not.

"Death has come for you!" I hiss heartlessly and swipe his head clean off of his shoulder with my sharp claws. As the blood spurts up into the air, I cup my hand and drink it.  
  
**END FLASHBACK  
  
**That was what made me turn. I killed people for fun after that. I left the guidance of my Masters and hunted for blood. I went so bad that I even joined Lord Voldemort and I will regret that decision for the rest of my life. Even now I am still cold to Yashi and Leshi for letting it all happen. And now they think they can turn this Potter girl into a monster like him without batting a lid? I will hate her and make her know what pain truly is...  
  
**END SNAPE'S POV  
  
**Cyradis finally finds him standing silently before a clearing where nothing would grow. She could practically smell the long past death and almost taste the blood. Even the trees looked mournful and haunted. She approaches Snape and walks around him so that she can face him. He is so deep and lost in his thoughts that he stares straight though her. She looks into his dark eyes and sees images flash through her eyes. She gasps and Snape turns on her, deep loathing flashing through his eyes.  
"You were looking, weren't you?" he demands, snarling.

Cyradis stares placidly into his eyes and says, quite clearly, "Yes".

"Stay out of my life! Don't come near me again or I will-" he breaks off with a low moan and pain flickers briefly across his face. "Go away!" he managed to gasp out as he fell to his knees, trying and failing to fight off the transformation. What was going on? He was supposedly able to hold off the transformation unless some one spoke those dreaded words when he was emotionally unstable.

Cyradis reacts on instinct. She slips off her gloves and kneels before him, completely unafraid. At the same time as he screams in pain with the beginning of the transformation, she reaches out and touches his cheek. To Cyradis, it was like an explosion. A rush of over fifty years of unbearable grief and pain flood through her palm and gruesome images torment her mind. The next thing she knew, her entire body felt as though it was on fire and she screamed and writhed on the ground before all darkness took hold of her.

At the same moment, Harry's eyes turned completely black and so that the whites of his eyes were completely enveloped in a glossy darkness. He gripped the edge of the dining table, looking stricken, and his heart accelerated dramatically, causing for his breathing to come in gasps. He saw nothing but an empty void before him and heard nothing but the echoing screams of Cyradis as she transformed into the beast.

Remus had been eating some lovely sandwiches when Harry's eyes suddenly became dark. He gasped and stood quickly but Harry just sat there, his knuckles white from being clenched on the edge of the polished, wooden table. When he started panting as though he had run a great distance, Remus quickly goes to his side, "Harry?" he called, "Harry!" Remus tries shaking Harry's shoulder, but at that moment the table bursts into flames and he is thrown through the air, landing in a heap by the landing of the staircase.

The next thing Remus knows, Harry is screaming. Remus stumbles to his feet in time to see Amos Diggory frantically throwing freezing spell at the burning form of Harry writhing on the floor in obvious pain. When there is nothing but ice and, ash and scorch marks left of the flames, Remus and Amos go to Harry's side.

The boy is just lying there, moaning, with clothes so badly burnt that they were nearly incinerated completely in the blaze and shining, red burns covering his chest and arms and half of his face. Horrified, Remus scoops up the injured son of his best friend and used floo to reach Hogwarts infirmary.


End file.
